Mind Sports South Africa's (MSSA) blog on competitive gaming in South Africa from proto-computer gaming all the way through to the most modern. For more about MSSA go to: https://www.facebook.com/mindsportssa/
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Sunday, 30 March 2014

It seems as though, as much as I try to
explain what makes a national federation, there are still a few
people who remain blissfully unable to understand what I am indeed
writing!

Maybe looking at the law would help!

All sport
and recreation in South Africa is governed by the Sports and
Recreation Act of 1998 (as amended). Yes this is an Act of Parliament
passed by the highest authority in the land – parliament! As such
it really does not matter as to whether the reader agrees with it or
not, it is the law!

But, what does the Act say in this
regard?

It reads as follows:

“National Federation:
means a national governing body of a code of sport or recreational
activity in the Republic recognised by the relevant international
controlling body as the only authority for the administration and
control of the relative code of sport or recreational activity in the
Republic;”

So, what does that mean?

Simply
put it means that first the international body recognises the
national federation and then the government recognises such
body.

This means that some people have really misunderstood
the entire process.

While such persons are claiming that some
international events were not official, it seems now that they indeed
are as recognition begins with the international federation.

So,
again, a national federation is a national federation when the
international body recognises it to be so, and an international event
is official when the international federation says it is.

Saturday, 29 March 2014

No doubt the organisers of the MSSA's
31st Gauteng Provincial LAN (as sponsored by MWEB) are
hard at work getting all the last minute 'stuff' done.

Besides
checking the names of entrants, making sure there are enough medals,
certificates and the like, they are no doubt making sure that they
have enough shirts for those who earn provincial colours at the
event.

Just as the MSSA colour codes the ribbons on the
medals, the MSSA also colour codes the shirts that they give – yes,
give – to those that earn them.

Unlike some who sell cheap
screen-printed 'T-shirts' for R300.00 each, the MSSA gives away high
quality 195gsm embroidered golf shirts to those that earn Regional,
Provincial, and National colours.

Wow!

The shirts are easily the same standard
of the high-end rugby supporters shirts, so, if you wanted to buy it,
you would expect to pay at least R400.00.

However, the shirts are not for sale!

Only those who earn colours get one,
and then, as I have written above, they get it for free!

Thursday, 27 March 2014

There seems to be a great deal of
controversy around the (console) Call of Duty team named “RiZe”
that will be playing in the MLG Championships in the USA this
weekend.

It seems as though the team manipulated the rules of
the MLG to ensure they would qualify by including two players from
the UK. Apparently one of the two South African players then had an
issue participating in the USA, and his place was taken by yet
another gamer from the UK.

Of course there is outrage from the
community who (justifiably – in my opinion, but maybe for other
reasons) feel that this whole 'selection' of this team is just ever
so wrong.

Certainly the team in no way can call itself South
African.

South Africa long ago (1961) cast off
its shackles of being a colony in which people of other nations could
represent South Africa.

Hmm, let me think about that a
minute!

Actually no-one who was not a citizen of South Africa
was ever allowed to represent South Africa at the Olympics – and
that goes back to the 1920's.

So why now?

Simply put, the MLG seems to be a
privately owned company from the USA. Such types of companies are
primarily only interested in its own profit margin.

As such, any benefit for gamers is
merely an unexpected outcome it is not necessarily the intention.

This too is the worst type of
representation that anyone could think of . Not only does the team
not even reflect the demographics of the country in any way, but it
also makes no attempt at even being South African.

It is in
short a mockery!

This is why the MSSA is so important for the
long term growth of gaming.

The rules, as agreed to by the
membership, ensure that there is proper procedure and that there is a
fair chance for all members.

A team like 'RiZe' would never be
allowed by the MSSA to represent South Africa.

Tuesday, 25 March 2014

With
great dismay I see that some people still do not understand the
concept of international test matches.

There still seem to be
people who seem to be battling with the concept, in that they presume
that national federations have to be part of a government
department,

Aargh!

It
is like hitting your head against a brick wall.

International
sporting bodies do not allow governments to control national sports
bodies. Certainly the IOC takes a very dim view of government
involvement and have been known to act against National Olympic
Committees and National Federations alike when government involves
itself in the affairs of the body in question.

Thus the national bodies for athletics, swimming, rugby, cricket, jukskei, golf, are almost all identical in structure and type.

Not only are
National Federations precluded from having government involvement,
but all sporting bodies are private associations or non profit
companies. These types of bodies through these legal forms, thus
protect their independence from interference from all non members.

But
what then makes an official international test match?

The answer is simply,
affiliation to the international federation and compliance with the
rules.

Yes, it is that simple!

With the MSSA affiliated
to the IeSF, any match that meets the criteria of a test match as
laid down by the IeSF is an official test match.

If the
International Federation says it is so, then it is so!

Of
course, all the participants in the test match have to comply with
the rules. Those that do not, may after proper investigation be
sanctioned. Such sanction may take various forms depending on the
level of the infraction.

However, the test matches are a great
way for a country to improve its average standard by getting its
players to play against gamers who they could only otherwise dream of
playing.

The benefits are huge, and the opportunities are only
limited by one's own imagination.

Monday, 24 March 2014

The
MSSA has pushed the promotion of females in all gaming like no other.
Over

the few years the MSSA has implemented programmes that promote
female participation – even in the face of sometimes quite
vociferous opposition.

As
a result, over the past few years the MSSA has seen a consistent
increase in female participation as well as standard of play. Even on
an international level the female members of the South African Protea
Team have done consistently well in that no female member of a South
African team has ever finished lower than the quarter-finals.

Yet
there are gamers that seem to begrudge the achievements of South
Africa's female gamers.

While some mistakes make have been
seen in the implementation of the policies, certainly the MSSA has
taken great care to ensure that there are no mistakes in the greater
vision and in the team selection.

With female participation in
gaming still being in its embryonic phases, there is no doubt that
there are great opportunities available for female gamers.

Already,
the female members of the South African team have established
themselves as being competitive and competent adversaries.

No
female member of a South African Protea team has ever finished lower
than the quarter finals, with Gabriella Isaacs having finished in
second place in 2011 at the IeSF World Championships.

The
programme is also gathering momentum as the 2014 MWEB MSSA North West
Championships testify.

Omphile Tshabalala won the female
section of Tekken Tag Tournament II and made history doing
so.

Omphile not only won the championship in style by winning
all her games, but she is the youngest female to have ever won a
Provincial championship. By winning all her games, Omphile also
automatically earned herself Provincial Colours and a place in the
National Team Trials.

But, the competition was important for
another reason. The North West Championships saw, for the first time
ever in South Africa, more females than males entering and playing in
a Provincial Championship in a particular game.

Without doubt,
it is females that guide the future of gaming in South Africa!

To say that I was disappointed with the
latest retelling of Gulliver's Tales (2010) is a clear
understatement.

Instead of a satirical treat, I found the film
to be laborious and quite unfulfilling. The original story by
Jonathan Swift was a cleverly crafted masterpiece wherein he was able
to make clear satirical jabs at the Whigs and the politics of the
day.

Instead of the classic wit seen in the original source
material, the humour abounds with juvenile humour.

But, I
would be a fool to dismiss the film so quickly.

As Aeschylus
and Euripides pointed out, the art of telling a story is not in
telling it the same way, but in the way that the story is
retold.

While I find the film to be juvenile, perhaps that is
indeed the point.

The crassness of introducing a façade
of American culture onto the island, might be a clear indictment of
basic American culture – all lights, and no substance!

Even
the way that major stories were recreated by 'Lemuel Gulliver' shows
just how vapid and insubstantial the great films really are. After
all, who will remember the 'great' movies produced by Hollywood?

Of
course when Jonathan Swift wrote 'Gulliver's Travels' he was almost
forced to use the pseudonym (nick) of 'Lemeul Gulliver' for fear of
reprisals. Of course, Swift was used to using a 'nick' as he wrote
many letters criticising politics of the time under the name of
'Drapier'. His use of the name Drapier, though, soon no longer was a
secret, and on the return of Swift to Ireland, Swift was met at the
docks with banners proclaiming, “Welcome home Drapier”.

The
use of 'nicks' is certainly not unsual by people who are trying to
get a point across that they feel is more important than the
messenger. Often a message would become lost when more emphasis is
put on the writer than what has been written.

In fact a number of people have also used the 'nick' Lemuel Gulliver. Satirists from Russia and Brazil have also brought out their own versions of "Gulliver's Travels" in order to made telling points about the society in which they live.

Even Henry Fielding, the author of Joseph Andrews, wrote under a
nick. When Fielding wrote “Shamela”, Fielding wrote under the
name of Mr. Conny Keyber. Fielding, of course, admired Swift, and
there is much in common in their satirical writings on the society of
the day.

Even the great Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, the renowned
mathematician, logician, and Anglican deacon used a pen name when
writing some of his works. When Dodgson wrote his more 'academic'
works, Dodgson used his given name. However, when he penned his works
of fantasy, such as, “Alice in Wonderland”, and “Alice through
the Looking Glass”, Dodgson used the pen name (nick) of Lewis
Carroll.

But, of course, the use of 'nicks' are not reserved
only for the greats!

Today when you go onto a for a, there are
many people who are quick to express their views under a 'nick'.

The
use of 'nicks' has so escalated in modern society that the use of
such has become quite mundane!

While some of the 'nicks' are
quite clever, the concept has been overused to such a point that some
people even use more than one 'nick'.

But the use of more than one nick is
nothing new either. As we have seen from the above, Swift used more
than one – and he will not be the last either!

Even south
African history is dotted with people who used nicks. While casually
reading Maj. Tylden's book, “The Armed Forces of South Africa”
(1954), I came across a reference to a private army. On further
research, I found that that the owner of the private army was
referred to as “Yellow Horse”, and “Mosotho” by King Moshesh
as long ago as the Third Basotho War.

You just have to see the 'nicks' given
to South African schoolboys, some of which stick for their entire
lives.

Thus the reader should note that the
use of a 'nick' is nothing special, nor is it anything untoward in
any way, and anybody who pretends that it is is just trying to make
something out of, what I have written
above to be quite mundane.

Thursday, 20 March 2014

We
are proud to announce that the MSSA shall host the 2014 MWEB Online Dota 2 Championship, which will offer
local Dota 2 players the opportunity to qualify for the National Team
trials.

In
case you haven’t been watching the local gaming press, Dota 2
players in South Africa had the opportunity to get full Protea
Colours for the game and represent the country in an
official Test Matches against Romania and Mexico.

The
2013 Protea Team was made up mainly of gamers from Bravado (bvd) with
a number of gamers from Energy eSports.

As
this missive is being written, negotiations are under way in securing
test match opponents. Rumours abound that once again the team will
have to face the mighty Romanians as well as the Russians. If that
happens, we’re going to need the best players to answer the
challenge!

The
championship shall be held on 19 April 2014.

We’d
also like to thank MWEB, in line
with their continued support for gaming in South Africa, for
extending their sponsorship to include all Mind Sports Online
Championships. None of this would be possible without the continued
support from MWEB.Tournament
Structure:As
per the MSSA's rules, being:

If
less than six teams, the championship shall be a Round Robin
Championship

If
6 to 10 teams the championship shall be four rounds as played to the
Swiss System

If
11 to 30 teams the championship shall be five rounds as played to
the Swiss System

Eligibility:

Any
player who is a Registered Player affiliated to a MSSA member club
may enter.

Entry
fee:

Entry
isfree
to all full-paid-up Registered Players.

Only
fully-paid-up Registered Players may participate in this event.

Entry
date:

Entries
need to be submitted by no later than Tuesday, 15 April 2014.

Medals: MALE

PREMIER:
Medals shall be awarded to the first three teams.

UNIVERSITY:Medals
shall be awarded to the first three teams that have not won a
Premier medal and which are comprised entirely of students currently
registered at any officially recognised University.

SCHOLARS:
Medals shall be awarded to the first three teams of learners
currently registered at any officially recognised school, provided
they have not received any Premier medals.FEMALE:

PREMIER:
Medals shall be awarded to the first three teams.

UNIVERSITY:Medals
shall be awarded to the first three teams that have not won a
Premier medal and which are comprised entirely of students currently
registered at any officially recognised University.

SCHOLARS:
Medals shall be awarded to the first three teams of learners
currently registered at any officially recognised school, provided
they have not received any Premier medals.

Colours:

Protea
Colours: Only Players that are selected to represent South
Africa in International Championships may earn National Colours if
the Protea Colours Board's criteria are met..

National
Colours: All Players that win all of their Matches at a National
Championship will earn National Colours.

Provincial
Colours: All Players that win all of their Matches at a
Provincial Championship will earn Provincial Colours. All Players
who score within the top 50% in a specific Period at a Provincial
Championship, and who also score within the top 50% at a National
Championship in the same period and in the same year, will earn
Provincial Colours..

When
and Where:

19April
2014

The
first round will start at 14H00. Players shall be given 90 minutes
to complete each round.

The
tournament will run via the MWEBserver

The
championship is accredited as being of the same status as a
provincial championship. This means that the championship shall be
used for the following:

The
awarding of provincial colours;

The
awarding of medals for 1st, 2nd and 3rd places in Premier, Under 24,
and School categories;

The
ability to qualify for National Team Trials.

All
medals and shirts will be awarded to the recipients at a MSSA LAN
championships.

Please
note that the MSSA shall be selecting a team to officially represent
South Africa in test matches against selected national teams. From
such championships, invites shall be sent out to the Registered
Players of the teams that finish in the top three or the top 20%
(whichever is greater) as per the Regulations. As per the Regulations
all such players who qualify from the genre as a whole shall be
invited. The Registered Players that enter the Trials shall organise
themselves into teams that:

1.
All come from the same area. In other words everybody in the team
must reside within 50km's, as the crow flies, to each other, or2.
Any team that does not comply with point 1 above, will have to
undertake to get the players in their team who are not in the same
area to the venue for the test matches at their own expense.

As
usual Trials shall be done at a LAN venue, and the team that can best
represent South Africa shall then be selected.Shout
casting:

Mind Sports South Africa (MSSA) is
an affiliate of the South African Confederation of Sport and Olympic
Committee.

The MSSA is responsible for the good governance and
promotion of Board games (such as Backgammon, Diplomacy, Checkers,
Draughts, Morabaraba, etc.), eSports (whether they are played on
'cell 'phones, consoles, personal computers or similar), and
historical figure games (also known as wargames).

Friday, 14 March 2014

The following post was made on the MSSA's facebook page on 11March 2014:

The MSSA's MWEB 18th North West Championships were very ably hosted by St Conrad's College in Klerksdorp on 8 & 9 March 2014.

The support given by MWEB over the 2013 year laid solid foundations for the growth that the MSSA is already beginning to experience in 2014.

The hosting of the official provincial championships in Klerksdorp forms part of the country-wide programme of bringing the various mind sports to every province as well as to all 52 Regions in South Africa.

Thus the organisers were not surprised to see an increase of participation on the 17th North West Championships.

However, the MSSA was pleasantly surprised to see the huge increase in the number of female participation. From having no female participation at the 17th North West Championships, the number of female gamers participating jumped to 25% of the total participation at the championships.

It is the priority of the IeSF, IWF, FMJD and SASCOC that more women are given the opportunity to participate.

Thus the MSSA has wrestled over the past few years to implement programmes that promote female participation. As a result, over the past few years the MSSA has seen a consistent increase in female participation as well as standard of play. Even on an international level the female members of the South African Protea Team have done consistently well in that no female member of a South African team has ever finished lower than the quarter-finals.

The championship too exhibited a high standard of play and attracted some of the best players from Gauteng, Mpumulanga and even KwaZulu Natal.

Certainly, with the MWEB North West Provincial Championships being the first championship in 2014 a few gamers seem to be the ones to beat as the competitive gamers gear up to fight for a place in the various teams that will represent the provinces and the country.